Colt Defense M4
='Colt Defense M4'= The M4 carbine is heavily used by the U.S military. It will eventually replace the M16 rifle for most combat units in the United States Army. The winner of the Individual Carbine competition was to supplement the M4 carbine in U.S. Army service; all other services will continue using the M4 carbine and M16 rifles. The Army cancelled the Individual Carbine competition without selecting a replacement rifle and instead plans to equip soldiers with the improved M4A1. 'History' Following the adoption of the M16 rifle, carbine variants were also adopted for close quarters operations. The CAR-15 family of weapons served through the Vietnam War. However, these carbines had design issues. They were primarily made for close ranges, like submachine guns, and so weapons like the XM177 "Commando" series suffered at longer ranges. In 1988, Colt began work on an new carbine design called the XM4 based on their M16A2 rifle. To remedy the range problem, Colt incorporated a 14.5 inch barrel, giving the weapon greater reach than the XM177 while still being more compact than the M16. The barrel was given the improved 1:7 inch rifle twist of the M16A2 to use the heavier 62 grain M855 rounds. The extended barrel gave the XM4 the ability to mount a shortened M203 grenade launcher. In 1994, the U.S. military officially accepted the XM4 into service as the M4 Carbine to replace the M3 "Grease Gun", as well as selected 9 mm M9 pistols and M16A2 rifles. The United States Marine Corps has ordered its officers (up to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel) and Staff Non-commissioned officers to carry the M4 carbine instead of the M9 handgun. This is in keeping with the Marine Corps doctrine, "Every Marine a rifleman." The Marines however chose the full-sized M16A4 over the M4 as its standard infantry rifle. United States Navy corpsmen E5 and below will also be issued M4s instead of the M9. While ordinary riflemen in the Marine Corps are armed with M16A4s, M4s are fielded by troops in positions where a full-length rifle would be too bulky, including vehicle operators and fireteam and squad leaders. As of 2013, the U.S. Marine Corps has 80,000 M4 Carbines in their inventory. The M4 carbine has largely replaced the submachine gun in military use due to increased use of body armor, as submachine guns fire pistol-power cartridges that are unable to penetrate modern body armor. 'Improved M4' On 1 July 2009, the U.S. Army took complete ownership of the M4 design. This allowed companies other than Colt to compete with their own M4 designs. The Army planned on fielding the last of its M4 requirement in 2010. On 30 October 2009, Army weapons officials proposed a series of changes to the M4 to Congress. Requested changes included an electronic round counter that records the number of shots fired, a heavier barrel, and possibly replacing the direct impingement system with a gas piston system. The benefits of this, however, have come under scrutiny from both the military and civilian firearms community. According to a PDF detailing the M4 Carbine improvement plans released by PEO Soldier, the direct impingement system would only be replaced after reviews were done comparing the direct impingement system to commercial gas piston operating system to find out and use the best available operating system in the U.S. Army's improved M4A1. In September 2010, the Army announced it would buy 12,000 M4A1s from Colt Firearms by the end of 2010, and would order 25,000 more M4A1s by early 2011. The Army announced also to have open competition for the newly designed M4 bolt carrier and gas piston operation system, which would be fitted to the newly bought M4A1 carbines. The service branch planned to buy 12,000 of these conversion kits in early 2011. In late 2011 the Army bought 65,000 more conversion kits. From there the Army had to decide if it would upgrade all of its M4s. On 21 April 2012, the U.S. Army announced to begin purchasing over 120,000 M4A1 carbines to start reequipping front line units from the original M4 to the new M4A1 version. The first 24,000 were to be made by Remington Arms Company. Remington was to produce the M4A1s from mid-2013 to mid-2014. After completion of that contract, it was to be between Colt and Remington to produce over 100,000 more M4A1s for the U.S. Army. Because of efforts from Colt to sue the Army to force them not to use Remington to produce M4s, the Army reworked the original solicitation for new M4A1s to avoid legal issues from Colt. On 16 November 2012, Colt's protest of Remington receiving the M4A1 production contract was dismissed, which was thought to likely result in the Army re-awarding the contract to Remington. Instead, the Army awarded the contract for 120,000 M4A1 carbines worth $77 million to FN Herstal on 22 February 2013. The order is expected to be completed by 2018. 'M4 Product Improvement Program' The M4 product improvement program (PIP) is the effort by the U.S. Army to modernize its fleet of M4 service rifles. Phase I consists of converting and replacing regular M4s with the M4A1 version. This variant of the rifle is fully automatic and has a heavier barrel, and is given ambidextrous fire controls. Phase II of the PIP explored developing a new bolt carrier. 11 designs were submitted. The competition was scheduled to conclude in summer 2013, but ended in April 2012. Over six months of testing revealed that the current bolt carrier assembly outperformed the competing designs, especially in the areas of reliability, durability, and high-temp and low-temp tests. Phase II also includes a competition for a free-floating forward rail assembly. The Army may award contracts to up to three finalists in early 2013, with the selection of a final winner in early 2014. If the Army determines that the winning rail system should be procured, delivery of new rail is anticipated by the summer of 2014. Phase I of the M4 PIP is to be completed by 2017. Per the M4 Carbine Improvements Program, fielded M4's willed be upgraded with previous 2005 improvements associated with the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) M4A1 plus additional new 2012 enhanced improvements. The Army also will also replace its 600,000 M16s with the enhanced M4A1. The M16 replacement will start in 2014 as the Army looks to "pure fleet" with carbines. It will take about 10 years to retrofit the entire inventory. M4 upgrades will start with a SOCOM M4A1 heavy barrel and the addition of automatic fire capability. The heavier barrel reduces warping and erosion, resulting in better performance and longer life and it also allows for a higher sustained rate of fire. In addition the Army is bettering the SOCOM M4A1 by adding ambidextrous controls and improvements to the bolt, bolt carrier and forward rail to increase the carbine's effectiveness and accuracy. 'Replacement Attempts' The carbine variant of the XM8 Rifle was canceled in 2005. On 13 November 2008, the U.S. Army hosted an Invitation-only Industry Day regarding a potential future replacement for the M4 carbine. Nineteen companies provided displays and briefings for military officials. The weapons displayed included the Barrett REC7 PDW, Remington ACR, FN SCAR, Heckler & Koch HK416, Heckler & Koch XM8, LWRC M6A4, Robinson Arms XCR, SIG 556, as well as Colt's own improved version of the M4, the Colt ACC-M. The goal of the Industry Day was to provide officials with knowledge as to the current state of the art, which assisted the writing of a formal requirements document. The possible successor to the M4 carbine in the U.S. Army was the Individual Carbine. This program was to provide a new carbine for the Army, while the USMC decided to stay with the M4 for carbine use. The original draft solicitation for industry bids was released in February 2011, and proposals were submitted by October 2011. Phase I began in November 2011 with no test firings. Phase II began the following spring, stressing accuracy, reliability, and long-term durability. Weapons that met requirements were to move on to Phase III. The solicitation called for a non-developmental weapon; competitors were to submit rifle designs they already had available, rather than work with the Army to develop a new weapon. The Defense Department's Inspector General re-evaluated the Individual Carbine program in March 2013 and launched an audit to see if the $1.8 billion acquisition process was worth replacing the M4. On 13 June 2013, the Army canceled the Individual Carbine competition without selecting a winning rifle, as none of the Carbines tested met the needed specifications to continue. The decision means the M4A1 will remain the U.S. Army standard-issue rifle. The Army had 483,000 M4/M4A1 Carbines in inventory at the time, with a maximum authorized acquisition level of 503,000 weapons. The Army will continue to look at the developing state of small arms technology, but with no immediate desire to engage in another competition. 'Design' The M4 and its variants fire 5.56×45mm NATO ammunition (and .223 Remington ammunition) and are gas-operated, magazine-fed, selective fire firearms with either a multi-position telescoping stock or a fixed A2 or LE tactical stock. The M4 is a shorter and lighter variant of the M16A2 rifle, with 80% parts commonality. The 20% of the parts that are interchangeable include the buffer spring and weight, barrel, and gas tube due ti shorter carbine length. Original M4 models had a flat-ended telescoping stock, but newer models are now equipped with a redesigned telescoping stock that is slightly larger with curvature at the end. The M4 is similar to much earlier compact M16 versions, such as the 1960s-era XM177 family. Some of those visual designs are obvious in both weapons. As with many carbines, the M4 is handy and more convenient to carry than a full-length rifle. The price is slightly inferior ballistic performance compared to the full-size M16, with its 5.5" (14 cm) longer barrel. This becomes most apparent at ranges of 200 yards and beyond. While the M4's maneuverability makes it a candidate for non-infantry troops (vehicle crews, clerks and staff officers), it also makes it ideal for close quarters battle (CQB). The M4, along with the M16A4, have mostly replaced the M16A2 in the Army and Marines. The U.S. Air Force, for example, has transitioned completely to the M4 for Security Forces squadrons, while other armed personnel retain the M16A2. The US Navy uses M4A1s for Special Operations and by vehicle crews. Some features of the M4 and M4A1 compared to a full-length M16-series rifle include: * Compact size * Shortened barrel, which includes the shorter carbine gas system. * Telescoping buttstock However, there have been some criticisms of the carbine, such as lower muzzle velocities and louder report due to the shorter barrel, additional stress on parts because of the shorter gas system, and a tendency to overheat faster than the M16A2. 'Accessories' Like all the variants of the M16, the M4 and the M4A1 can be fitted with many accessories, such as night vision devices, suppressors, laser pointers, telescopic sights, bipods, either the M203 or M320 grenade launchers, the M26 MASS shotgun, forward hand grips, and anything else compatible with a MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny rail. Other common accessories include the AN/PEQ-2, Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight (ACOG), and M68 CCO. EOTech holographic weapon sights are part of the SOPMOD II package. Visible and IR (infrared) lights of various manufacturers are also commonly attached using various mounting methods. As with all versions of the M16, the M4 accepts a blank-firing attachment (BFA) for training purposes. 'Feedramps' M4 feedramps are extended from the barrel extension into the upper receiver. This can help alleviate feeding problems which may occur as a result of the increased pressure of the shortened gas system of the M4. This problem is primarily seen in full-auto applications. 'SOPMOD Block I' U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) developed the Special Operations Peculiar Modification (SOPMOD) Block I kit for the carbines used by units under its jurisdiction. The kit features an M4A1, a Rail Interface System (RIS) handguard developed by Knight's Armament Company, a shortened quick-detachable M203 grenade launcher and leaf sight, a KAC sound suppressor, a KAC back-up rear sight, an Insight Technologies AN/PEQ-2A visible laser/infrared designator, along with Trijicon's ACOG and Reflex sights, and a night vision sight. This kit was designed to be configurable (modular) for various missions, and the kit is currently in service with special operations units. 'SOPMOD Block II' A second-generation SOPMOD kit (now known as SOPMOD II) includes innovative optics, such as the Elcan Specter DR and the Eotech 553. Block II uses the RIS II rails manufactured by Daniel Defense in both a 9.5 and 12.5 length. 'Variants' Except for the very first delivery order, all U.S. military-issue M4 and M4A1 carbines possess a flat-top NATO M1913-specification (Picatinny) rail on top of the receiver for attachment of optical sights and other aiming devices — Trijicon TA01 and TA31 Advanced Combat Optical Gunsights (ACOG), EOTech 550 series holographic sights, and Aimpoint M68 Close Combat Optic (M68 CCO) being the favorite choices — and a detachable rail-mounted carrying handle. Standards are the Colt Model 920 (M4) and 921 (M4A1). Variants of the carbine built by different manufacturers are also in service with many other foreign special forces units, such as the Australian Special Air Service Regiment (SASR). While the SASR uses weapons of essentially the same pattern built by Colt for export (Colt uses different models to separate weapons for the U.S. military and those for commercial/export purposes), the British SAS uses a variant on the basic theme, the Colt Canada (formerly Diemaco) C8SFW. 'M4 MWS ''(Modular Weapon System) Colt Model 925 carbines were tested fitted with the Knight's Armament Corporation (KAC) M4 RAS under the designation M4E2, but this designation appears to have been scrapped in favor of mounting this system to existing carbines without changing the designation. The U.S. Army Field Manual specifies for the Army that adding the Rail Adapter System (RAS) turns the weapon into the M4 MWS or Modular Weapon System. '''M4A1 The M4A1 carbine is a fully automatic variant of the basic M4 carbine intended for special operations use. The M4A1 has a "S-1-F" (safe/semi-automatic/fully automatic) trigger group, while the M4 has a "S-1-3" (safe/semi-automatic/3-round burst) trigger group. The M4A1 is used by almost all U.S special operation units including, but not limited to, Marine Force Recon, Army Rangers, Army Special Forces, Navy SEALs, United States Air Force Pararescue and Air Force Combat Control Teams. The M4A1 is especially favored by counter-terrorist and special forces units for close quarters combat and urban warfare because of the carbine's compactness and firepower. It has a maximum effective range of about 500 m. The fully automatic trigger gives a more consistent trigger pull, which leads to better accuracy. According to Mark A. Westrom, owner of ArmaLite, Inc., automatic fire is better for clearing rooms than burst fire. In the last few years, M4A1 carbines have been refit or received straight from factory with barrels with a thicker profile under the handguard. This is for a variety of reasons such as heat dissipation during full-auto, and accuracy as a byproduct of barrel weight. These heavier barrel weapons are also fitted with a heavier buffer known as the H2. Out of three sliding weights inside the buffer, the H2 possesses two tungsten weights and one steel weight, versus the standard H buffer, which uses one tungsten weight and two steel weights. These weapons, known by Colt as the Model 921HB (for Heavy Barrel), have also been designated M4A1, and as far as the government is concerned the M4A1 represents both the 921 and 921HB. All U.S. Army forces will begin replacing their basic M4 carbines and all 600,000 M16 rifles with the M4A1 variant in 2014. The M4A1 in turn was to be replaced with the Individual Carbine and moved to reserve troops to replace their aging M16s. Replacement of the M16 would come from the Individual Carbine instead of the M4A1 if procurement was attained. The Individual Carbine competition was canceled without selecting a new weapon. Phase I of the M4 Product Improvement Program (PIP), converting all Army M4s to M4A1s, is to be completed by 2017. 'Mark 18 CQBR' The Mk 18 Close Quarters Battle Receiver is an M4A1 with a 10.3-inch barrel upper receiver. Current contractors for the Mark 18 are Colt and Lewis Machine & Tool (LMT) NSN 1005-01-527-2288. 'Enhanced M4' For the Individual Carbine competition, Colt submitted their Enhanced M4 design, also known as the Colt Advanced Piston Carbine (APC). The weapon has a suppression-ready fluted barrel, which is lighter and cools better than previous M4 barrels. It is claimed to have "markedly better" accuracy. To improve reliability, Colt used an articulating link piston (ALP) which "reduces the inherent stress in the piston stroke by allowing for deflection and thermal expansion". In traditional gas piston operating systems, the force of the piston striking the bolt carrier can push the bolt carrier downwards and into the wall of the buffer tube, leading to accelerated wear and even chipped metal. This is known as carrier tilt. The ALP allows the operating rod to wiggle to correct for the downward pressure on the bolt and transfers the force straight backwards in line with the bore and buffer assembly, eliminating the carrier tilt. This relieves stress on parts and helps to increase accuracy. The Individual Carbine competition was canceled before a winning weapon was chosen. 'Performance' The M4 Carbine has been used for close quarters operations where the M16 would be too long and bulky to use effectively. It has been admired for being a compact, light, customizable, and accurate weapons platform. This has come at the cost of reliability and maintainability. Failure to maintain the M4 causes malfunctions. This became apparent as it saw continued use in the sandy environments of Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite this, in post-combat surveys, 94 percent of soldiers rated the M4 as an effective weapons system. 'Early Feedback' By late 2002, 89 percent of U.S. troops reported they were confident with the M4, but they had a range of problems. 34 percent of users said the handguards rattled and became excessively hot when firing, and 15 percent had trouble zeroing the M68 Close Combat Optic. 35 percent added barber brushes and 24 percent added dental picks to their cleaning kits. They were many malfunctions, including 20 percent of users experiencing a double feed, 15 percent experiencing feeding jams, and 13 percent saying that feeding problems were due to magazines. 20 percent of users were dissatisfied with weapon maintenance. Some had trouble locking the magazine into the weapon and having to chamber a round in order to lock the magazine. Soldiers also asked for a larger round to be able to kill targets with one shot. New optics and handguards made usage of the M4 easier, and good weapon maintenance reduced the number of misfeeds. '2006 CNA Report' In December 2006, the Center for Naval Analyses released a report on U.S. small arms in combat. The CNA conducted surveys on 2,608 troops returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past 12 months. Only troops who fired their weapons at enemy targets were allowed to participate. 917 troops were armed with M4 Carbines, making up 35 percent of the survey. 89 percent of M4 users (816 troops) reported they were satisfied with the weapon. 90 percent (825 troops) were satisfied with handling qualities such as handguards, size, and weight. M4 users had the highest levels of satisfaction with weapon performance, including 94 percent (862 troops) with accuracy, 92 percent (844 troops) with range, and 93 percent (853 troops) with rate of fire. Only 19 percent of M4 users (174 troops) reported a stoppage, while 82 percent of those that experienced a stoppage said it had little impact on their ability to clear the stoppage and re-engage their target. 53 percent of the M4 users (486 troops) never experienced failures of their magazines to feed. 81 percent (743 troops) did not need their rifles repaired while in theater. 80 percent (734 troops) were confident in the M4's reliability, defined as level of soldier confidence their weapon will fire without malfunction, and 83 percent (761 troops) were confident in its durability, defined as level of soldier confidence their weapon will not break or need repair. Both factors were attributed to high levels of soldiers performing their own maintenance. 54 percent of M4 users offered recommendations for improvements. 20 percent of requests were for greater bullet lethality, and 10 percent was better quality magazines, as well as other minor recommendations. Some M16 users expressed their desire to be issued the M4. Some issues have been addressed with the issuing of the Improved STANAG magazine in March 2009, and the M855A1 Enhanced Performance Round in June 2010. '2007 Dust Test' In the fall 2007, the Army tested the M4 against three other carbines in "sandstorm conditions" at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland: the Heckler & Koch XM8, Fabrique Nationale de Herstal SOF Combat Assault Rifle (SCAR) and the Heckler & Koch HK416. Ten of each type of rifle were used to fire 6,000 rounds each, for a total of 60,000 rounds per rifle type. The M4 suffered far more stoppages than its competitors: 882 stoppages, 19 requiring an armorer to fix. The XM8 had the fewest stoppages, 116 minor stoppages and 11 major ones, followed by the FN SCAR with 226 stoppages and the HK416 with 233. The Army was quick to point out that even with 863 minor stoppages—termed "class one" stoppages which require 10 seconds or less to clear and "class two" stoppages which require more than ten seconds to clear—the M4 functioned well, with over 98 percent of the 60,000 total rounds firing without a problem. The Army said it planned to improve the M4 with a new cold-hammer-forged barrel to give longer life and more reliable magazines to reduce the stoppages. Magazine failures caused 239 of the M4's 882 failures. Army officials said the new magazines could be combat-ready by spring if testing went well. The Army began issuing an improved STANAG magazine in March 2009. The Army claimed that the M4 only suffered 296 stoppages, and that the high number reported could be attributed to discrepancies in the scoring process. If a certain number of malfunctions were found to be the result of a broken part, some of the stoppages counted could be eliminated in the final report. Colt also claimed that the testing conditions were unfair to the M4. Factors including the M4s used being taken from the Army inventory while the other rifles were provided directly from the manufacturers, and the carbine's burst fire operation when the others had fully automatic firing modes brought the validity of the results into question. There were three extreme dust tests performed in 2007. In the Summer 2007 test, the M4 carbine stopped 882 times. The Fall 2007 results were much different than the other two tests; the M4 carbine had 148 class 1 stoppages due to rifle malfunctions and 148 class 1 stoppages due to magazine stoppages. The full-size M16 rifle had a total of 61 stoppages during the same extreme dust test. 'Reliability' In early 2010, two journalists from the New York Times spent three months with soldiers and Marines in Afghanistan. While there, they questioned around 100 infantrymen about the reliability of their M4 Carbines, as well as the M16 rifle. Surprisingly, troops did not report to be suffering reliability problems with their rifles. While only 100 troops were asked, they fought at least a dozen intense engagements in Helmand Province, where the ground is covered in fine powdered sand (called "moon dust" by troops) that can stick to firearms. Weapons were often dusty, wet, and covered in mud. Intense firefights lasted hours with several magazines being expended. Only one soldier reported a jam when his M16 was covered in mud after climbing out of a canal. The weapon was cleared and resumed firing with the next chambered round. Furthermore, a Marine Chief Warrant Officer reported that with his battalion's 700 M4s and 350 M16s, they've had no issues. The reliability of the M4 has increased as the design was upgraded. In 1990, the M4 was required to fire 600 mean rounds between stoppages using M855 ammunition. In 2013, the current M4A1 version can fire 1,691 mean rounds between stoppages using M855A1 ammunition. 'Gas Piston' Complicating the Army search for higher reliability in the M4 is a number of observations of M4 gas piston alternatives that suffer unintended design problems. The first is that many of the gas piston modifications for the M4 isolate the piston so that piston jams or related malfunction require the entire weapon be disassembled, such disassembly cannot be performed by the end user and requires a qualified armorer to perform out of field, whereas any malfunction with the direct-impingement system can be fixed by the end user in field. The second is that gas piston alternatives use an off-axis operation of the piston that can introduce carrier tilt, whereby the bolt carrier fails to enter the buffer tube at a straight angle, resulting in part wearing. The third is that the use of a sound suppressor results in hot gases entering the chamber, regardless of a direct-gas impingement or gas piston design choice. The gas-piston system also causes the firearm to become proprietary to the manufacturer, making modifications and changes with parts from other manufacturers difficult. The argument for a gas piston is that it would reduce fouling; while the argument against it is that it would increase weight and reduce accuracy. The Enhanced M4 uses an articulating link piston operating system. 'Trademark Issues' The M4 was developed and produced for the United States government by Colt Firearms, which had an exclusive contract to produce the M4 family of weapons through 2009. However, a number of other manufacturers offer M4-like firearms. Colt previously held a U.S. trademark on the term "M4." Many manufacturers have production firearms that are essentially identical to a military M4, but with a 16" barrel. Civilian models are sometimes colloquially referred to as "M4gery" a portmanteau of "M4" and "forgery"). Colt had maintained that it retains sole rights to the M4 name and design. Other manufacturers had long maintained that Colt had been overstating its rights, and that "M4" had now become a generic term for a shortened AR-15. In April 2004, Colt filed a lawsuit against Heckler & Koch and Bushmaster Firearms, claiming acts of trademark infringement, trade dress infringement, trademark dilution, false designation of origin, false advertising, patent infringement, unfair competition, and deceptive trade practices. Heckler & Koch later settled out of court, changing one product's name from "HK M4" to "HK416". However, on December 8, 2005, a District court judge in Maine granted a summary judgment in favor of Bushmaster Firearms, dismissing all of Colt's claims except for false advertising. On the latter claim, Colt could not recover monetary damages. The court also ruled that "M4" was now a generic name, and that Colt's trademark should be revoked. 'Users' *'Australia:' Special Operations Command, Clearance Divers. and Police Tactical Groups *'Canada:' C8 rifle. *'Hong Kong:' KAC SR-16 by Special Duties Unit of the Hong Kong Police Force *'Israel:' Sold as part of a January 2001 Foreign Military Sales package to Israel. *'United States' <<<< BACK